BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Spring Supplementary Estimates

Patrick McFadden: Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's DEL will be reduced by £1,905,574,000 from £3,367,913,000 to £1,462,339,000 and the Administration budget will be reduced by £55,714,000 from £332,531,000 to £276,817,000.
	Within the DEL change, the impact on Resources and Capital is as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Change New DEL 
			  Voted Non-Voted Voted Non-Voted Total 
			 Resource (£000) 936,100 -1,646,469 438,114 1,008,411 1,446,525 
			 of which:  
			 Administration budget* -55,714 - 276,817 - 276,817 
			 Near cash in Resource DEL* 885,423 -1,694,221 239,793 998,926 1,238,719 
			   
			 Capital (£000) 6,562 -1,201,767 -757,437 773,251 15,814 
			 Less Depreciation*(£000) 2,444 3,872 -46,336 -20,812 -67,148 
			 Total (£000) 945,106 -2,844,364 -365,659 1,760,850 1,395,191 
			 *The total of the 'Administration Budget' and 'Near-Cash in Resource DEL' figures may well be greater than total Resource DEL, due to the definitions overlapping. *Capital DEL includes items treated as Resource in Estimates and Accounts, but which are treated as Capital DEL in Budgets. *Depreciation, which forms part of Resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since Capital DEL includes Capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting. 
		
	
	The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:
	RfR1
	(i) a Machinery of Government transfer to the Department of Energy and Climate Change of a net negative £992,321,000 voted near cash and £1,711,504,000 of non-voted near cash in respect of clean, safe and competitively priced energy and energy liabilities;
	(ii) a Machinery of Government transfer to the Department of Energy and Climate Change of a net negative £2,980,000 voted non cash and £47,752,000 of non-voted non cash in respect of clean, safe and competitively priced energy and energy liabilities;
	(iii) a Machinery of Government transfer to the Department of Energy and Climate Change of £308,000 in respect of legal costs;
	(iv) transfer of £40,000 from voted provision to non-voted Departmental Unallocated Provision relating to the transfer to the Cabinet Office for the Security Monitoring and Co-ordination Centre made in the Winter Supplementary;
	(v) new awards announced in the Pre Budget Report of £850,000 and £2,500,000 in respect of the National Debtline and Citizens' advice;
	(vi) a transfer of £250,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions in respect of compensation for mesothelioma sufferers provided through British Shipbuilders' liabilities;
	(vii) a Machinery of Government transfer of £29,000,000 to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in respect of their contribution to the regional development agencies' "Single Pot",
	(viii) virement of £18,439,000 from voted to non-voted expenditure in respect of the regional development agencies reflecting reinstated contributions from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
	(ix) virement of £ 1,196,000 from non-voted resource to non-voted capital expenditure in respect of the regional development agencies;
	(x) a non-cash reserve claim of £21,000,000 for provisions for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme;
	(xi) a non-cash reserve claim of £25,000,000 for provisions for the Automotive Assistance programme;
	(xii) virement of £7,000,000 Insolvency Service under-spend to the non-voted Capital Departmental Unallocated Provision to reduce the negative balance shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	(xiii) additional non-cash of £ 1,700,000 resulting from reclassification under FRS26.
	Also within the change to resource DEL, the changes to the Administration budget are (RfR1):
	(i) a Machinery of Government transfer to the Department of Energy and Climate Change of £52,471,000 near cash and £3,000 of non-cash in respect of clean, safe and competitively priced energy and energy liabilities;
	(ii) transfer of £1,240,000 to the Department for Communities and Local Government in respect of Government Office' restructuring costs; and
	(iii) virement of £2,000,000 administration under-spend to the non-voted Capital Departmental Unallocated Provision to reduce the negative balance shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	The change in the Capital element of the DEL arises from:
	RfR1
	(i) virement of £ 1,196,000 from non-voted resource to non-voted capital expenditure in respect of the regional development agencies;
	(ii) virement of £7,000,000 Insolvency Service unde-spend to the non-voted Capital Departmental Unallocated Provision to reduce the negative balance shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	(iii)virement of £2,000,000 administration under-spend to the non-voted Capital Departmental Unallocated Provision to reduce the negative balance shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	(iv) a Machinery of Government transfer to the Department of Energy and Climate Change of a net negative £14,582,000 voted and £1,248,183,000 non-voted in respect of clean, safe and competitively priced energy and energy liabilities;
	(v) a transfer of £200,000 from the UK Trade and Investment Estimate, utilised to reduce the negative capital Departmental Unallocated Provision shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	(vi) a Machinery of Government transfer of £7,000,000 to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in respect of their contribution to the regional development agencies' "Single Pot",
	(vii) receipt of £35,000,000 as part repayment of a capital loan made to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in 2007-08, utilised to reduce the negative capital Departmental Unallocated Provision shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	(viii) virement of £20,000 from core Departmental capital, utilised to reduce the negative capital Departmental Unallocated Provision shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate;
	(ix) virement of £1,000,000 from the Insolvency Service, utilised to reduce the negative capital Departmental Unallocated Provision shown in the Winter Supplementary Estimate.
	We regret that in error this written ministerial statement was not laid in the House on 12 February when the supplementary estimates were laid before Parliament (HC221).

TREASURY

Alignment Project

Yvette Cooper: The Government announced in its July 2007 Green Paper "The Governance of Britain" (Cm 7170) that it would simplify its financial reporting to Parliament, ensuring that it reports in a more consistent fashion at all three stages in the process—on plans, estimates and expenditure outcomes.
	The Treasury submitted an initial memorandum to the relevant parliamentary Committees in November 2008, outlining the Government's emerging thinking on how this commitment might best be delivered. I have sent a further memorandum to the Committees this week setting out the Government's formal proposals for achieving better alignment between budgets, estimates and accounts. The proposals take account of the views expressed by the Committees in response to the November memorandum, as well as the results of a consultation exercise with key stakeholders external to Government, carried out during autumn 2008.
	The memorandum notes that the Government propose to begin implementation of the new, better aligned framework from April 2010. To achieve this deadline, the Government would welcome Parliament's agreement to its proposals by July 2009.
	The memorandum is being published as a Command paper and presented to the House, and copies have today been placed in the House of Commons Vote Office, to enable all Members to assess the Government's proposals.

Monetary Policy Committee

Alistair Darling: In my statement to the House of Commons on bank lending of 19 January, I announced the setting up of the asset purchase facility. I noted that this facility could be used by the Monetary Policy Committee as an additional way for meeting the inflation target, and that I would inform Parliament if the facility were to be used for monetary policy purposes.
	Following the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee on 4 and 5 February 2009, the Governor of the Bank of England wrote to me on 17 February, requesting that the Monetary Policy Committee be authorised to use the facility to purchase eligible assets financed by central bank money. The Governor's letter set out that the Monetary Policy Committee had concluded that it might be necessary to use asset purchases at future meetings in order to meet the 2 per cent. target for CPI inflation.
	I replied to the Governor on 3 March, authorising the Monetary Policy Committee to use the asset purchase facility for monetary policy purposes. I also extended the range of assets eligible for purchase by the Bank of England asset purchase facility fund to include UK Government debt purchased on the secondary market as well as the full range of private sector assets previously specified in my letter to the Governor of 29 January 2009. And I also authorised an increase in the scale of purchases under the facility to up to £150 billion, but that, in line with current arrangements and in recognition of the importance of supporting the flow of corporate credit, up to £50 billion of that should be used to purchase private sector assets. These are maximum limits within which the Monetary Policy Committee will determine the scale of its purchases each month; the proportion of Government and private sector assets purchased will be kept under review.
	These changes do not affect the objectives of the Government's monetary policy framework. The remit of the Monetary Policy Committee continues to be maintaining price stability, and subject to that, to support the Government's economic policy, including its objectives for growth and employment. The symmetrical inflation target is 2 per cent. on the CPI measure, as specified in my letter to the Governor of the Bank of England of 11 March 2008.
	The Government's debt management objective remains to minimise, over the long term, the costs of meeting the Government's financing needs, taking into account risk, while ensuring that debt management policy is consistent with the aims of monetary policy.
	A copy of my letter to the Governor has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Planning Applications (Killian Pretty Review)

Margaret Beckett: Today I have published the Government's formal response to the Killian Pretty review. Our response sets out our proposals to take forward an ambitious programme of measures to create a more proportionate and responsive planning application process. This will help businesses, developers, councils and the wider community, particularly in the current challenging economic environment.
	The review was commissioned jointly by the Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government and Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to consider how the planning application process could be improved for the benefit of all involved. The final report, with detailed recommendations, was published in November 2008.
	We welcome the Killian Pretty report as a strong foundation for the next stage in reforming the planning system. In response to its recommendations, we propose actions to improve the planning application process from start to finish, grouped into five main themes:
	reducing the number of small scale developments that require full planning permission;
	making the planning application process more efficient and effective for all involved;
	improving the quality of information available to users of the planning application system;
	improving local authority capacity and performance in the process; and
	streamlining the national planning policy framework.
	We propose a phased approach to reform, with immediate priority given to consulting on detailed proposals to extend permitted development rights for businesses and public services and to streamline information requirements for applicants.
	Clearly, successful development and implementation of further improvements to the planning application process requires the active involvement of key stakeholders, including local government, the profession and private sector. So a key part of the implementation programme is to work closely with stakeholders, in a range of ways, including the formation of a stakeholder sounding board, in addition to full public consultation on draft proposals, where appropriate.
	A copy of the Government's response is available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningand building/killianprettyresponse

HEALTH

NHS Charges

Dawn Primarolo: Regulations have today been laid before Parliament to increase national health service charges in England from 1 April 2009. There will be an increase in the prescription charge of 10 pence from £7.10 to £7.20 for each quantity of a drug or appliance dispensed.
	The cost of a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will rise to £28.25 for a three-month certificate and to £104.00 for an annual certificate. PPCs offer savings for those needing four or more items in three months or more than 14 in one year.
	Prescription charges are currently expected to raise some £435 million for the NHS in 2009-10. This figure excludes prescription charges collected by dispensing doctors, which are not collected centrally, but remain with primary care trusts.
	Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports supplied through hospitals will be increased similarly.
	Regulations have also been laid to increase certain NHS dental charges, and increase the value of NHS optical vouchers, from 1 April 2009.
	The dental charge payable for a band one course of treatment will increase by 30 pence from £16.20 to £16.50. The dental charge for a band 2 course of treatment will increase by £1 from £44.60 to £45.60. The charge for a band 3 course of treatment will remain at £198.
	Dental charges are expected to raise between £6 to £700 million for the NHS in 2009-10. The exact amount will be dependent upon the level and type of primary dental care services commissioned by primary care trusts and the proportion of charge paying patients who attend dentists and the levels of treatment they require.
	This annual adjustment to dental charge rates is intended to sustain the expected contribution to the overall cost of dental services from patient charge income.
	The range of NHS optical vouchers available to children, people on low incomes and individuals with complex sight problems are also being increased in value. In order to continue to provide help with the cost of spectacles or contact lenses, optical voucher values will rise by an overall 2 per cent.
	NHS charges and optical voucher values in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved Administrations.
	Details of the revised charges for prescription items, appliances, dental charges and optical voucher values are as follows:
	
		
			 Increases in Prescription Charges from April 2009 
			 Item Current Charges New charges 
			 Prescription per item £7.10 £7.20 
			 12-month PPC £102.50 £104.00 
			 3-month PPC £27.85 £28.25 
			 Surgical brassiere £24.00 £24.35 
			 Abdominal or spinal support £36.30 £36. 80 
			 Stock modacrylic wig £59.20 £60.00 
			 Partial human hair wig £156.60 £158.90 
			 Full bespoke human hair wig £229.05 £232.45 
		
	
	
		
			 NHS Dental Charges 
			 Course of Dental Treatment Current Charge From 1 April 2009 
			 Band 1 £16.20 £16.50 
			 Band 2 £44.60 £45.60 
			 Band 3 £198 £198 
		
	
	
		
			 Increase in Optical Voucher Values from 1 April 2009 
			 Type of optical appliance 1 April 08 1 April 09 
			 A Glasses with single vision lenses: spherical power of = 6 dioptres, cylindrical power of = 2 dioptres. £35.50 £36.20 
			 B Glasses with single vision lenses:  spherical power of > 6 dioptres but < 10 dioptres, cylindrical power of = 6 dioptres;  spherical power of < 10 dioptres, cylindrical power of > 2 dioptres but = 6 dioptres. £54.00 £55.10 
			 C Glasses with single vision lenses:  spherical power of = 10 dioptres but = 14 dioptres, cylindrical power of = 6 dioptres. £79.00 £80.60 
			 D Glasses with single vision lenses:  spherical power of >14 dioptres with any cylindrical power;  cylindrical power of > 6 dioptres with any spherical power. £178.40 £182.00 
			 E Glasses with bifocal lenses:  spherical power of = 6 dioptres, cylindrical power of = 2 dioptres. £61.40 £62.70 
			 F Glasses with bifocal lenses:  spherical power of > 6 dioptres but < 10 dioptres, cylindrical power of = 6 dioptres;  spherical power of < 10 dioptres, cylindrical power of > 2 dioptres but = 6 dioptres. £78.10 £79.70 
			 G Glasses with bifocal lenses:  spherical power of = 10 dioptres but = 14 dioptres, cylindrical power of = 6 dioptres. £101.20 £103.30 
			 H Glasses with prism-controlled bifocal lenses of any power or with bifocal lenses:  spherical power of > 14 dioptres with any cylindrical power;  cylindrical power of > 6 dioptres with any spherical power. £196.10 £200.10 
			 I (HES) Glasses not falling within any of paragraphs 1 to 8 for which a prescription is given in consequence of a testing of sight by an NHS Trust. £182.70 £186.40

HOME DEPARTMENT

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Meg Hillier: The Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council was held in Brussels on 26 and 27 February 2009. My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice, Lord Bach, and the Scottish Solicitor-General, Frank Mulholland QC, attended on behalf of the United Kingdom. The following issues were discussed at the Council:
	During the Mixed Committee with Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Ministers discussed progress in implementing the second generation of the Schengen Information System (SIS II) in the light of the analysis which had identified problems in the central system. Both the Commission and the presidency recognised the importance of the SIS II programme and the presidency reiterated that the repair phase would consist of two aspects, to be developed in parallel: an analysis and repair plan to resolve known bugs in the current SIS II programme and a contingency plan. The presidency also stressed the need for agreement on a set of common criteria against which both of these aspects could be assessed in the first half of 2009. The Council subsequently adopted Council conclusions confirming the action required in relation to the central SIS II project and a set of criteria against which the SIS II based scenario and an alternative scenario, based on a SIS I platform, would be assessed. They confirmed that a decision regarding the future of the project would be taken by June 2009 at the latest.
	During the Interior Ministers' meeting the Commission outlined the plans for implementation of the Visa Information System (VIS), notifying member states that the final phase had been pushed back to December 2009. The UK does not participate in the VIS.
	The Council was presented with the draft report on the outcome of the Swiss air borders evaluation which will be considered by experts in March. Switzerland thanked the Commission and presidency for the help they had given in the months before the evaluation and indicated that it was happy with the conclusions of the draft report, taking note of its recommendations and undertaking to report regularly on progress. The presidency concluded by looking forward to 29 March when the Swiss were expected to join the Schengen area in full.
	The Commission presented its proposal for a European Asylum Support Office (EASO) to the Council. The Commission explained that the EASO's aims would be to enhance practical cooperation; help member states under particular pressures; and ensure a common European asylum regime. It would not make case decisions and would be part-financed through changes to the European Refugee Fund. The Commission hoped that the proposal would receive political agreement by the summer and be implemented in 2010. The proposal was broadly welcomed by a number of member states. The UK thanked the Commission for its proposal, noting that it went to the heart of what European co-operation was about: making a difference on the ground. It emphasised its support for practical co-operation on asylum in order to provide protection for those who needed it. The UK stated that systems should be streamlined, to deliver fair decisions quickly and tackle abuse. The UK also argued for more work with countries outside the EU in order to stop asylum being the weak point in immigration systems and to stop refugees having to travel to the EU to find safety.
	The presidency presented the Commission's report on implementation of the free movement directive. The Commission said it hoped to adopt guidelines on application of the directive by the summer. They confirmed that the guidelines would cover abuses of free movement rights, including marriages of convenience and persistent criminality: moving to another member state carried responsibilities as well as rights. A number of member states highlighted their concerns about abuses of free movement. The UK welcomed the Commission's work on guidelines and asked that they should set out consequences when these responsibilities are not met.
	The Council briefly discussed the issue of combating illegal immigration in the Mediterranean. The discussion highlighted the role of Frontex (the European Border Agency), readmission agreements and the need for further development of the EU's Global Approach to Migration.
	The Council also discussed progress in resettling Iraqi refugees following the Council conclusions adopted in November 2008 which set an EU target of 10,000. The Commission welcomed the fact that member states had notified their intention to resettle 5,100 refugees so far, improving the situation of refugees in Syria and Jordan. The Commission stated that additional funds (€20 million) would be made available to support member states' efforts.
	During the working lunch Interior Ministers discussed the appointment of the Europol director, but no agreement was reached. The presidency said that it wanted to reach agreement at the next JHA Council meeting in April. The UK said that the recommendation of the management board, endorsing the UK candidate, should be followed.
	The closure of the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay was also discussed during lunch. Ministers agreed that there was a need to obtain more information and study all aspects of the issue. Following the previous discussion in the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) there was agreement that further discussion with the United States would be a good idea.
	Under any other business, SWIFT was discussed, concerning the controls and necessary safeguards on data protection and use under the Terrorist Financing Tracking programme. Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière commented that the US Administration had set up a particularly robust programme to ensure the protection of personal data for counter terrorism purposes, though there was still room for improvement. The Commission would be making available a report on state of play on SWIFT. On the EU's anti-drug policy, the presidency and Commission stressed the need for more and better supply side indicators. A report would need to go to Council in June on this subject.
	Ministers reached a broad consensus on presidency conclusions to steer negotiations on the proposed framework decision on prevention and settlement of conflicts of jurisdiction in criminal proceedings, in particular focusing the instrument on preventing situations where the same person is subject to parallel proceedings in different member states, and establishing flexible mechanisms for communication. The UK supported these conclusions. The presidency hopes to be able to reach political agreement on this proposal at the June JHA Council.
	A negotiating mandate was also agreed authorising the presidency to open discussions with Japan for an EU agreement on mutual legal assistance. The Commission noted that in future it would be necessary to decide how to prioritise target countries for these agreements.
	The presidency updated member states on progress in e-justice and asked the Commission about the financing of e-justice projects, particularly video conferencing. The Commission reminded member states that there was already money available to fund e-justice projects and undertook to present all the available funding opportunities at the next JHA Council.
	Under any other business the presidency provided a state of play report on negotiations on an amending directive on ship-source pollution and on the introduction of penalties for infringements. It noted that the Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament had proposed 19 amendments to the proposal. The presidency hoped that it would be possible to reach a first reading deal in April.
	Sweden presented a paper on transparency in the EU, advocating the need to demonstrate a greater commitment to transparency, stronger protection of citizens' individual rights and better understanding of the citizens' expectations. Germany updated member states on the appointment of a new director to the tribunal for the International Law of the Sea, which dealt with civil disputes. The Romanian delegation drew attention to the conference of Prosecutors General that they will be hosting in Bucharest from 23 to 25 March 2009.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

EU Education Council

Si�n Simon: I represented the UK at the Education Council, on behalf of DIUS and DCSF.
	Ministers adopted key messages to send to the spring European Council to be held on 20 March. These emphasise the importance of maintaining investment in training, the 'knowledge triangle' of research, education and innovation, the establishment of partnerships between education institutes and employers, and the upgrading and development of skills in developing a knowledge-based low-carbon economy. We welcome these messages. I highlighted domestic best practice in tackling the economic crisis, including support for small businesses and increased apprenticeship places.
	Over lunch and in the meeting itself, Ministers held an exchange of views on the establishment of an updated strategic framework for European co-operation in education and training post-2010. This will build on the work programme in education already in place. Ministers were enthusiastic about working together to share best practice and welcomed the four strategic objectives for the new period identified by the Commission. These focus on:
	Making lifelong learning and learner mobility a reality;
	Improving the quality of education provision and outcomes;
	Promoting equity and active citizenship;
	Enhancing innovation and creativity, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training.
	However, there were reservations about the proposal to develop ten education benchmarks to measure progress against the strategic objectives. These would build on existing benchmarks for the period up to 2010 that measure low achievers in reading, early school leavers, completion of secondary education, numbers of maths, science and technology graduates, and participation in lifelong learning.
	Most member states were content with the extension of existing benchmarks but were reluctant to establish many new ones. There was some support for a benchmark on pre-school learning and some opposition to 'input based' benchmarks on language learning and higher education investment. It was also generally felt that further work was needed to develop helpful and measurable benchmarks on mobility, employability, and innovation and creativity. Netherlands was the most negative member state on benchmarking in general. I and some other member state Ministers feel we can accept a few of the new topics proposed if there is further refinement of the measurement of the benchmarks. Further work will be required before agreement can be reached on this issue, expected at the next Education Council in May.
	Under Any Other Business, the Commission noted that they had published the communication 'New Skills for New Jobs' in December 2008.

Sir Fred Goodwin

Harriet Harman: The reply I gave the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llywd), on 4 March 2009, Official Report, Vol. 488, column 847 was incorrect.
	It was in fact the case that Sir Fred Goodwin received his knighthood for services to banking.

PRIME MINISTER

Intelligence and Security Committee (Annual Report 2007-08)

Gordon Brown: I have today laid before the House the Intelligence and Security Committee's Annual Report 2007-08 (Cm 7542). This follows consultation with the Committee over matters that could not be published without prejudicing the work of the intelligence and security agencies.
	I have also laid before the House today the Government's response to this report (Cm 7543). Copies of the report and the response have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	I am grateful to the Intelligence and Security Committee for its valuable work.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council

Jonathan R Shaw: The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will be held on 9 March 2009 in Brussels. I will represent the UK, except for the agenda item on the Pregnant Workers Directive where the UK will be represented by my hon. Friend, Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs. There are no health or consumer affairs issues.
	The first and main item of the agenda is the preparation for the spring European Council which will be held on the 19 and 20 March 2009. A key messages paper will be adopted following a public debate on the economic crisis and the European economic recovery plan. The key messages paper identifies the main messages emerging from the various other reports for adoption at the March Council. The presidency will also give information on preparation for the Tripartite Social Summit. The Tripartite Social Summit meets a minimum of once a year, including before each spring European Council. It is attended by the current presidency, the two future presidencies (Sweden and Spain), the Commission and the social partners.
	The next item will be the presidency's progress report on the negotiations to amend the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Member states can apply to the EGF for matched funding of measures to help back into work any people made unemployed through large scale redundancies. The Government believe that the EGF plays an important role and the UK is involved in negotiations to ensure that recently proposed revisions mean that it plays that role as effectively and efficiently as possible.
	The Council will also seek adoption of Council conclusions based on the recent Commission Communication New Skills for New Jobs. The conclusions commit member states and the Commission to develop policies and services to address skills needs and labour markets mismatches. There will also be adoption of Council conclusions on Professional and Geographical Mobility and the Free Movement of Workers. The conclusions rightly stress the importance of joined-up approaches, to support professional and geographic mobility, in response to the economic downturn. The Government welcome both sets of conclusions.
	There will be a policy debate on the draft proposal to amend an existing directive which sets out the minimum protections for pregnant workers, and new or breastfeeding mothers. The UK system of maternity leave and pay is in many ways more generous than the proposed minimum. The Government support the aims of the proposal but need to ensure that any proposed changes would be compatible with our own existing provisions.
	Under any other business, the Commission will present its recent communication contributing to the spring European Council. In addition, the chairs of the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee will give an oral presentation to provide information on their 2009 Work Programmes. There will also be information on all conferences held under the Czech presidency to date.